The small to medium business (SMB) is now in an era where their
employees can perform a growing number of business functions from their iPads
or Android tablets. These growing mobility options can spell productivity and
cost savings for time- and resource-strapped organizations.

Here's a cross-platform look at some business functions where
SMBs can introduce tablets.

Shipping

For SMBs who ship and receive goods as part of their business,
tablets means package tracking is always accessible. FedEx Mobile (Android/iPad) is perhaps the best-known tablet app for
managing shipping. Figure A shows
the FedEx Mobile app on an iPad.

Figure A

Track FedEx packages on your iPad.

UPS also has a UPS Mobile app (Android/iPad) for SMBs who depend on them for shipping.

While these apps are available on smartphones, a tablet running
one of these apps means you can have the app open if you have to call customer
service.

Accounting and invoicing

While a financial controller friend may argue with me on this
point, tablets can even help SMBs with accounting and invoicing. You may
not be crunching complex formulas and pivot tables on your tablet (at least not
yet), but there are accounting and invoicing apps appearing that can help you better manage your finances.

A number of financial institutions are releasing mobile banking
apps. Check with your financial institution to see what services they offer
mobile users. Some enable you to scan your checks into
their mobile app for deposit, plus other productivity and cost savings for
their mobile customers.

Cloud-based invoicing and tablet apps can improve the workflow
around sending and tracking invoices. Invoice2go has done mobile device invoicing better
with mobile apps that provide robust features and a consistent user experience
across Android tablets and iPads. It's available in three pricing plans. Figure B
shows a blank invoice in Invoice2go on an Android tablet.

Figure B

Manage invoices from your tablet with
Invoice2go.

Contract and document signature

Contracts are one more thing that an SMB needs to manage
and track as part of their business. Tablets and cloud apps can offer a more
secure and streamlined workflow solution, a definite plus for time-strapped
organizations that may not be as organized as they should be.

DocuSign
(Android/iPad) is one such solution that enables tablet
users with DocuSign accounts to sign documents securely. Users can even extend
the workflow to send the signed documents to recipients.

Adobe EchoSign (Android/iOS) is another eSignature option
for tablet users. Users with an EchoSign account and the app can sign contracts and other
documents securely.

Document reviewing

Paper-based document reviews are a waste of paper and, for SMBs
not working in a traditional office, require the extra steps of having to print
the document out, annotate it, and then scan the document into a PDF so your
coworkers can review the comments. iAnnotate PDF (Android/iPad) offers tablet users powerful yet
flexible annotation tools that mimic paper-based reviews. The app also seamlessly
integrates into iPads and Android tablets, making it easy to open file
attachments from email or from a cloud storage account.

Adobe Reader (Android/iOS) is a free solution that rivals iAnnotate PDF. With either app, you no longer have to worry about deciphering your co-worker's awful penmanship. Figure C shows a document open in iAnnotate PDF on an iPad.

Figure C

Using iAnnotate PDF on an iPad.

Social media management

Managing a social media presence for an SMB can slip through
the cracks with everything else is going on with running a business. Taking
social media management to tablets is now made possible with HootSuite (Android/iPad), because it can offer SMBs a more mobile option
for managing their social media presence beyond the web browser on their
corporate PCs. Figure D shows the
HootSuite Getting Started page on an Android tablet.

Figure D

Getting Started with HootSuite.

Project management

Options to use tablets in project management and
collaboration
abound for SMBs right now. These apps make it easy for a wide range of
team
members to interact with project schedules and task information, adding
transparency to processes that growing companies need to have.

Tablets and apps are only part of the total display kiosk
solution. There's a growing market for secure hardware to lock the
tablet down as a retail display. Some great examples of these sorts of hardware
kits including Armodilo, a
manufacturer of secure tablet kiosks, and even Griffin Technology, a well-known
accessories vendor that has their own iPad Kiosk. Take a visit to iPadEnclosures to see some examples of how much of the industry has sprung up
around kiosks.

Besides display kiosks, tablets are becoming an increasingly
popular option for replacing expensive Point of Sale (PoS) solutions. I'll
cover tablet options for PoS in an upcoming post.

Conclusion

Solutions like eSignatures and annotating documents
provide SMBs another level of protection over business information. Ultimately, moving business tasks to tablets
enables SMBs to be more responsive to changes, whether employees are in the
office or out with customers.

What other business functions of SMBs benefit from the use of tablets? Share your opinion and experience in the discussion thread below.

About Will Kelly

Will Kelly is a freelance technical writer and analyst currently focusing on enterprise mobility, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and the consumerization of IT. He has also written about cloud computing, Big Data, virtualization, project management ap...

Full Bio

Will Kelly is a freelance technical writer and analyst currently focusing on enterprise mobility, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and the consumerization of IT. He has also written about cloud computing, Big Data, virtualization, project management applications, Google Apps, Microsoft technologies, and online collaboration for TechRepublic and other sites. Will also works as a contract technical writer for clients in the Washington, DC area and nationwide. Follow Will on Twitter: @willkelly.